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I have a few opinions about the remarks made by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz in the US Open last eight. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment was appropriate. Rather, Fowler invoked the ongoing drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

We all love a storyline, myself included. But come on. Suppose Fritz had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, who Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And had he someway survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven grand slams (and the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a tired Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in press after the loss that he in fact preferred his draw, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the top three players in the world in succession. He is more than justified to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match who else sensibly had the lack of US winners in mind?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

The American, 28, is placed fourth in the global rankings entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six matches over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that’s as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard lie a chasm of ranking points away. His top-class serve and concussive power on both front side and backhand are more than adequate to defeat the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is often overmatched. The past few seasons has witnessed the curious emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising speed and grace of smaller players. He is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was dictating, and playing a soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a pretty severe limitation on his potential.

The American has made a several dramatic, improbable improvements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he suddenly exploded up to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the ongoing drought of US male players lifting grand slams when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the respect for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

The American star made a personal best run to the All England Club semi-finals in July.

Fritz’s play in that very last eight match should have been enough of an sign. Djokovic won in four rounds, a victory that only felt uncertain for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a few championship opportunities and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz earning numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the brink of agony. When Fritz eventually did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a horrendous game to drop serve again; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle secondary to the real battle and compelled him to use far too much effort to win it. Down match points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to the sky. He prolonged the contest two times on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, just a result of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly ironclad evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of Djokovic, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the following match and did not especially appeared like he thought he could win. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired enough experience and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is those who were anticipating Fritz to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he would.

The American is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in media sessions, more so than almost anyone on the ATP aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only say his emotions or the tactic he felt decided a match, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Group

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely dwell on it forever if I don’t do it,” the American told a journalist in the summer of claiming a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not fulfill that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying empire is in fact extremely unlikely for all other players. {